A 5-point check-up for your email · by Gerry Tait

The Email
Check-Up.

You sat down, wrote the email, and maybe even felt a little proud of it. Then you hit send and… you're just not sure.

Did it do anything? Did anyone actually read it? Was it the subject line, your offer, the part you rewrote four times and still don't love? Who knows!

That not-knowing is the worst part, because you can't fix a problem you can't see. And you're the last person who can see this one clearly. You wrote the email, so every time you re-read it, you fill the same gaps with the same assumptions. You're too close to it.

After reading hundreds of emails, I can tell you what's usually going on. The writing is fine, but the email got disconnected from one of the five things that make it work: your buyer, your offer, your expertise, your main message, or your call-to-action.

This check-up walks you through all five, scores your email on each, and shows you the one that needs the most attention. Then it tells you what to do about it!

Takes ~5 minutes
You'll need One recent email
You'll leave with A clear next step

Before you start:

Go grab an email that you're not quite sure about. It could be a newsletter, a launch email, a welcome sequence email, or even one you drafted and never worked up the nerve to send. Pull it up in another tab so you can look at it as you answer.

The more specific the email, the more useful the check-up.

Setup
1 of 7

First, a little context.

One quick setup question, then we'll dive in.

Buyer Connection
2 of 7
01
Buyer Connection

Is this email talking to someone specific about something specific?

This email connects to something my reader is actually thinking about or dealing with right now.

totally off their radarright on their mind

There's a moment in this email where my reader would feel directly spoken to.

they'd skim pastthey'd feel seen
Offer Connection
3 of 7
02
Offer Connection

Does this email do a job inside your bigger sales picture?

There's a clear line from this email to something I actually sell.

nopecrystal clear

After reading this, my reader would know what to do next if they wanted more from me.

they'd be lostsuper obvious
Expertise Connection
4 of 7
03
Expertise Connection

Does this email show why you're the right person to solve this?

This email has a take or a point of view only I would have.

anyone could've written itunmistakably me

The reader can feel my brain on the page, not just information.

just infofull personality
Message Connection
5 of 7
04
Message Connection

Is there one clear idea that doesn't get muddled along the way?

If I had to sum up this email in one sentence, I could do it without cheating.

it's all over the placeone tight idea

Every paragraph is doing work for the main point. Nothing wanders.

lots of wanderingzero wandering
CTA Connection
6 of 7
05
CTA Connection

Is there a clear next step, and does it feel like a natural one?

The call to action feels like the natural continuation of what I just said.

total plot twistobvious next step

This email makes a clear ask that points toward a real next step.

it kind of trails offclear next step
Your results

Okay. Here's what's actually going on.

Your email scored
0 / 50

The breakdown.

Here's how each connection point scored. The lowest one is where to start, so that's what we'll focus on.

Here's where to start

So now what?

You just ran a check-up on one email. That's one data point.

The real change happens when every email you send goes through this lens before it leaves your drafts folder. Every week. With someone actually looking at your stuff and telling you where the disconnection is and how to strengthen it specifically for your business, offers, audience, and voice.

That's what I do inside The G6 Email Lounge. It's $127 a month, which is less than most copywriters charge to write one email. The Lounge is built for the person who just ran this check-up and thought "shit, I need someone looking at ALL my emails this way."

P.S. Whether or not you ever join me inside G6, you now have a super handy framework. Run it on your next three emails and you'll start seeing a pattern. It's a little infuriating and also really useful.
xxG The Email Check-Up by Gerry Tait · gerrytait.com